§ Lieut.-Commander Tufnellasked the First Lord of the Admiralty what steps are taken to ensure that guns placed on merchant ships are always kept manned and ready for action; and whether he is satisfied with existing arrangements?
Mr. AlexanderThe responsibility for seeing that the guns of a merchant ship are properly manned must necessarily lie with the master. Masters of ships are, therefore, supplied with printed instructions which deal in detail with state of readiness of the armament. Both in these instructions, and by the staff officers at the various ports, it is impressed upon masters how essential it is in dangerous areas that the armament should be instantly ready to open fire. The guns' crews are trained with this object in view. The answer to the second part of the Question is in the affirmative.